That meant the oracle overcoming the curse had become reality.
The dream she had desperately hoped for.
The dream of living happily ever after with her beloved Dietrian was coming true.
Leticia bit her lips hard.
Tears seemed about to overflow.
As she tried hard to hold back her tears, Mano patted her back and whispered.
“Child, it’s okay to cry if you want to.”
Her voice was very warm, as if she knew her feelings.
She remembered seven years ago.
The day it snowed, when she put shoes on Mano’s feet. The tender and innocent look in her eyes then.
“Madam Mano, do you know who I am?”
“Of course, that’s obvious.”
“I’m not Julios.”
“I know, child.”
Mano hugged Leticia tightly and smiled softly.
“Leticia, our child’s name. It would have been nice if you were my daughter. Then our child wouldn’t have been sick…”
Leticia looked at Mano with trembling eyes.
Indeed, Mano knew who Leticia was.
She wondered when she started dreaming. Was it also in the past, or only in this life? How far did she see with the power of Gilead?
There were so many questions she wanted to ask. Tears kept coming, and she couldn’t ask them. At last, she asked the thing she was most curious about.
“Madam Mano, when did you start dreaming of Gilead?”
The power of Gilead had returned. It must mean the dragon’s blessing is being revived.
Perhaps the powers of the other guardians are also returning.
“It hasn’t been long.”
Mano did not talk about Julios but smiled broadly and released her embrace. Then, very gently, she wiped Leticia’s tears.
“But you have to believe in my dream. From now on, there will only be good things. Will you believe that?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
Leticia nodded. Mano chuckled. The two sitting opposite each other looked like a mother and daughter.
“So, did you come to Heden to see me? To give me a fairy tale book?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“It must have been tough in the carriage. Can’t you wait?”
“I didn’t like that. Then I would have met our child too late.”
Mano said, almost whining. Then she grabbed Leticia’s arm and said.
“Child, want to lie down here? Shall Mom read you a fairy tale?”
“I wanted to read it to you.”
“No. Today, I will read to you. Has anyone read you a fairy tale before?”
“No. It’s my first time.”
“That’s good.”
Leticia lay down under Mano’s guidance. The red sunset warmly filled the room.
“Long, long ago, to keep a promise, a dragon returned to the world.”
Mano read the book hesitantly. It seemed she was confused by the letters, having not read for a long time.
“Mi…racle?”
“Miracle, that’s right. You did well.”
She asked Leticia about the difficult words and slowly turned the page.
“Child, what is this?”
“That is…”
Over Leticia’s voice, carefully teaching the letters, old memories overlapped. It was the voice of her son from a long time ago.
[Mother, mi…racle? What is a miracle?]
[A miracle is when something very good happens.]
When she was reading a fairy tale book to her first child, Julios.
[Just like when you came to your mother.]
[Me?]
[Yes. You, child, are a miracle to your mother.]
The times when she first became a mother, feeling as if she had gathered all the wonders of the world, were brilliant.
Seven years ago, a letter arrived from the empire.
It was a request to send the second prince of the Principality, Dietrian, as the head of the delegation.
When Mano saw that letter, she felt an unusual sense of foreboding, different from usual.
Josephina had requested several times before to send a member of the royal family.
Julios had already visited the empire.
It was an experience they had already had, yet for some reason, it felt unsettling.
Perhaps it was because Dietrian was too young.
He was only sixteen, not yet having celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony.
After much deliberation, she reluctantly brought up the matter with her husband.
Suggesting that perhaps this time, they could refuse the request of the saintess.
The king shook his head uncomfortably.
“That’s impossible. You know the temperament of the saintess. If we refuse her request, she will surely retaliate even more severely.”
“But Your Majesty.”
“Don’t worry too much. Even if it’s Josephina, she can’t harm a member of the royal family without a reason.”
The king tried to reassure her, but Mano was unusually stubborn.
“But this time, it feels too strange. I keep feeling uneasy. It seems like something is going to happen.”
“It’s because it’s the first time. Someday we had to face this. We expected that Josephina would call for Dietrian.”
Her husband was right, in a way. Josephina wanted to see for herself what kind of people the Principality’s royalty were. Whether they were a threat to her or not, she wanted to check with her own eyes. It was also a way to humiliate the young royal and enjoy a sense of superiority.
“If we just get through this time, it will be okay. Surely we can manage. You know how thoughtful Dietrian is. So there won’t be any problems.”
“…Alright.”
Though she nodded at her husband’s words, Mano couldn’t shake her unease.
And that night, Julios came to her.
His expression, usually full of mischief, was completely different.
“Mother, I had a dream.”
“A dream?”
“I saw the future. What will happen.”
At first, she didn’t believe it. The power of Gilead had vanished long ago.
“The saintess will kill Dietrian. He shouldn’t go. He can never return.”
“Julios, it’s just a dream.”
“Please, you have to believe me. I will go instead. That way, everyone will live.”
But she couldn’t ignore her son’s desperate eyes. Mano was already feeling uneasy.
“The saintess called for Dietrian. You know that.”
“I can return. But he can’t. He will never, ever be able to return.”
“Julios.”
“You know, mother. That the goddess’ will is just an excuse. The saintess only wants to play. To feel superior by humiliating the royal family of the Principality in front of everyone. So we just need to do what that woman wants.”
“…”
“I can do it. I’ve done it several times. But he can’t. He won’t be able to bear the humiliation. It’s his first time dealing with Josephina.”
Julios held Mano’s hand and smiled faintly.
“If you can’t believe in my dream, please believe in me. I’ve always managed well. I will definitely return, mother.”
Just as he said, even if his dream was unbelievable, her son was to be trusted.
He had always been reliable, always managing well.
She felt he would do well this time too.
Ultimately, it happened as Julios wished.
Julios went as the head of the delegation instead of Dietrian.
To Josephina, it was explained that Dietrian was ill, necessitating Julios to go in his stead.
At first, she was worried that Josephina might take issue with Julios because of this.
Fortunately, that was not the case. Things went better than her worries.
When the day of the delegation’s return was nearing, and everyone had let their guard down, disaster struck. Her son, who had promised to return without fail, was murdered by the saintess.
They even said that his remains couldn’t be returned.
He had promised to return, he had promised, and so she had sent him off. She beat her chest countless times.
She should not have believed that dream. Then she wouldn’t have lost him. She couldn’t live with a clear mind.
Eventually, she lost her sanity. Always, she lived in her dreams.
In her dreams, she could see Julios. Just as he was the day before he left for the empire, he would speak to her with a playful smile.
“Mother, have you been well?”
Wherever she went, her son was there. Finally, he’d returned. Mano was indescribably happy. She fed him his favorite sweets, hugged him, and sang to him. But whenever she came to her senses, he disappeared. No matter how desperately she ran out to look for him, he was nowhere to be found.
“My child, where have you gone? Huh?”
When asked, everyone just looked at her awkwardly.
Then, she would realize the harsh reality once again.
Then, she would beat her chest again. She should not have believed that he would return, she believed it and lost him.
The life filled with self-blame was Mano’s past life.
The red sunset had left, and thick darkness had settled outside the window by now.
A round moon shone white in the dark night sky.
Mano gazed at Leticia, who was sleeping by her side, and then carefully hugged her.
Beyond her slender shoulders, a black box on the table was visible.
Her son’s remains.
Julia had brought it.
[I will definitely return, Mother. I promise you.]
Over seven years and into another life… Julios had kept his promise.
Now, she realized. What dream Julios had, what he meant by his words.
That he knew how he would return.
“Naughty boy.”
Mano sniffled with a tingling nose. Living another life, Mano had now accepted her son’s death.
She knew what she had to do to not let his death be in vain.
Still, her heart ached.
It was natural.
The place in her heart where she had buried her child would not heal until the moment of death.
Still, this life would be okay.
“Uhmm…”
Leticia stirred in Mano’s embrace, and the blanket that had been draped over her shoulder slid off.
Mano carefully covered Leticia with the blanket again, ensuring she didn’t wake up.
Then, she looked at Leticia, who was sleeping peacefully. A smile formed on Mano’s lips.
A child who, in the empire, probably hadn’t had a single night’s peaceful sleep.
Seeing her sleep so comfortably here made her happy as well.
‘I must love her more in the future.’
She was determined to care for her even more, as much as she hadn’t received her biological mother’s love.
“How is it?”
Then, a familiar voice was heard. It was her son’s voice, audible only to Mano and not to others.
“As I told you, she’s a very lovely person, isn’t she?”
Julios’s smile shone brightly in the moonlight.
Mano simply nodded, afraid that she might cry if she spoke.
Julios sat on the bed.
He took Mano’s hand and whispered.
His hand felt as warm as if he were alive.
Mano, with tears in her eyes, looked up at her son and then, barely, opened her mouth.
“Child, you, you’ve returned.”
“Of course. Didn’t I promise? I will definitely return.”
“But you’re so… small.”
The box containing his remains was too small, even smaller than when she had held her newborn son.
Julios silently patted her shoulder, then whispered after a moment.
“But I’ve returned, haven’t I? Right?”
“That’s true, but…”
“I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Mano, sobbing, gripped Julios’s hand tightly.
“Still, thank you. For keeping your promise. For coming back, even now.”
Julios smiled softly. Tears blurred Mano’s vision. She quickly blinked.
She wanted to imprint the image of her son, who might disappear at any moment, in her eyes.
Then, she spoke.
“I will, I will also keep the promise I made with you.”
As promised with Julios.
The precious connection that her son had sent her.
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